Project this summer aims to document speed of changes

7:08 PM,
Apr. 22, 2014

The Marcus G. Langseth will conduct a seismic survey of the sea floor off New Jersey this summer.

Written by

Kirk Moore | @KirkMooreAPP

A survey of deep ocean floor sediments off New Jersey this summer could help scientists document the speed of ancient sea level changes - and better understand how a warming ocean may affect cities and towns along the coast in the coming decades, says the project's chief scientist.

"We know from (geologic) records the shoreline has been as much as 50 miles inland, almost to the New Jersey Turnpike, and as far as 75 miles out" from today's beaches, said Gregory Mountain, a professor of geology at Rutgers University and primary investigator for the sea floor survey. The $369,000 project is funded ...